[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: Hindu holidays
-
To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
-
Subject: Re: Hindu holidays
-
From: cramarao@neuron.uchc.edu (C S Ramarao)
-
Date: 10 Jan 1996 16:00:36 GMT
-
Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
-
Organization: Univ of CT Health Center
-
References: <4csfnv$ivj@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
-
Sender: -Not-Authenticated-[1486]@threed.uchc.edu
-
Xdisclaimer: No attempt was made to authenticate the sender's name.
In article <4csfnv$ivj@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
sheddey@aol.com (Shelley Crawford) writes:
> I've already figured out that Purnima is full moon day, Amavasya is new
> moon day, Ekadashi is eleven or twelve days after full or new moon, and
> Aradhana is two Fridays per month. What is the significance of these days
> and how are they observed? I've heard that on Ekadasi one fasts from
> grains and legumes. Thank you, Shelley
There is some cofusion prevailing here. The fifteen days of the lunar
cycle (from full moon to no moon and vice versa) have names that
reflect the number from day 1 (being no moon or full moon)
1-pADyami; 2-vidiya; 3-tadiya; 4-caviti; 5-pancami; 6-shasTi;
7-saptami;
8-ashTami; 9-navami; 10-dasami; 11-EkAdasi; 12-dwAdasi; 13-triodasi;
and 14-caturdasi.
these are followed by poorNima (full moon) or amAvAsya (no moon) as you
said.
mahAsivaratri comes once a year the no moon day of a given month (the
name i can not recollect) every no moon day of other lunar cycles are
mAsa sivarAtris (literally meaning monthly nights of lord siva).
Basant pancami (or vasant pancami- as people in southern india call it)
is the fifth day of the cycle in the month that comes in spring
(caitram). aradhana means prayer/propritiation. It can be of any
god/human. Example tyAgarAja ArAdhana commemorates the birth of saint
tyAgarAja.
Almost all festivals (with the sole exception of sankrAnti) are
celebrated according to the lunar calendar. So we have krishnAshtami
(birthday of krisna 8th day of that month); rAmanavami (birth and
marriage day of rama falling on the ninethday of that month), naraka
caturdasi (14th day when krishna killed narakAsura) and deepAvaLi
maAvAsya (the no moon day that follows it), to name a few.
sankrAnti which marks the beginning of the summer solstice falls on the
15th of january every year. (used to be the 14th when I was growing up.
Still not sure why it advanced one day)
rAmArAo
